How old is the universe?

Let’s learn a lesson from some bath water!

No human was there at the beginning of the world, so we have to look back and make the best guess we can. We have to come up with a theory.

So let’s do a practical demonstration:
You come home one evening and find the bath is half filled with hot water – say 50 deg Centigrade.

How long has the water been in the bath?
The answer is easy, right?

Well, there could be several theories:

The water came out of the tap nearly at 90 deg C and no cold water was added, so it has taken a long time to cool to this temperature.

Some cold water was added so the starting temperature was about 75 deg C and has been cooling for about half an hour.

It has only been run a few minutes earlier, because hot and cold water were added to give the desired temperature of 50 deg C.

Which theory is right?

We can debate until the cows come home.
Any one of those three theories could be right, but the sensible thing to do is ask the person who ran the bath!

Scientists have their theories on how the earth began, but it is scientifically impossible to prove because no human was there when it happened.

If we believe that God is not restricted to the laws of nature, then anything is possible.
He could create the earth from nothing instantly or over many years, whatever he chose to do.
From the Genesis account I believe that God created everything instantly and with an apparent age.